Gami Chicken & Beer, Central Park Sydney

Break out the soju. Korean fried chicken has landed at Central Park. Gami, the famed Korean fried chicken king of Melbourne with 13 outlets across the city, has finally spread its wings to Sydney. They've taken over the site that was once Doughnut Time (and before that, Autolyse), and already drawing a crowd.

It's a family-friendly space with brightly coloured walls and a good amount of room between tables. Outdoor seating is also available.


Kimchi pancake $14

The menu is larger than you'd expect, with one page devoted to fried chicken; the other to "gami delights", a list of 13 dishes ranging from mandu deep fried dumplings to spicy seafood soup.

Our food takes a little while to arrive, despite the restaurant only being about a third full. The kimchi pancake, or kimchijeon, takes about 15min to land at our table.


Upskirt shot

Kimchijeon is a huddle of kimchi, onion and shallots enrobed in pancake batter. Although there's a deep golden hue to the panfried disc, it's not particularly crunchy - always a difficult feat when kimchi juice is involved. We relish the piping hot triangles regardless, dipping them into the accompanying soy and rice vinegar dressing.


Korean fried half chicken $18 
with spicy sauce on the side

When it comes to the fried chicken, you can choose between whole ($34) or half ($18) chickens on-the-bone, boneless mix of breast and thigh fillets ($34), mix of wingettes and drumettes ($12 for 8 pieces/ $16 for 12 pieces), and chicken spare ribs ($12).

And vegetarians don't miss out either. They even have vegetarian fried chicken made from soy meat.


Crunchalicious

We go with half a chicken, opting for spicy sauce (it's more sweet than spicy) on the side. It's a mini mountain of crunch, the pieces cut small so there's plenty of rubbly batter for each mouthful.

The chicken is juicy. The batter is well seasoned. And yes, you can have beer with it too. Their drinks list includes Hite and Asahi Super Dry as well as Gun:Bae Lager and Murray's Whale Ale on tap. Tap beers come in 300ml glasses ($5.5), jugs ($18.50) and party-sized oak kegs ($59). And yes, there's soju. Plus Korean juices like bonbon grape, sec sec orange and grated pear for non-alcoholic kicks.


Cabbage coleslaw (and pickled radish) free with the fried chicken

Complimentary pickled daikon radish is essential for cleansing the palate (and relieving the arteries) in between bites of fried chicken. The cabbage coleslaw provides some welcome crunch too, but I'd probably prefer mine with just mayonnaise and no tomato sauce - it's tangy sweetness is a little too overpowering.


Tteok bok ki $14

Sure we might be a table of two but why would that stop us from ordering tteok bok ki? It's just the kinda dish you'd craving in wintery weather, a mix of two minute noodles, chewy rice cakes and fish cake slices in a spicy red pepper broth.


Noodles and rice cakes

Next time I'd definitely add cheese ($2) on top, an extra I didn't notice until too late. I also have my eye on the corn cheese ($9.80), fried rice cakes ($5.50 for three) and deep fried cheese sticks ($7 for three) for my next visit. I'll definitely be back.

And if you haven't already seen it, the story of the four uni students behind the business is a pretty impressive read too.








Gami Chicken & Beer
Central Park Mall 
Lower ground floor
28 Broadway, Chippendale, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8067 0304


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Raclette Tuesdays at Handpicked Cellar Door, Sydney

Hello winter. Hello melted cheese. If a hot molten river of oozing cheese is your idea of bliss, then you'll definitely want to make friends with raclette. This semi-hard cheese is melted under a red hot grill and then scraped and served over potatoes. Where can you get raclette in Sydney?  It's now served up every Tuesday at Handpicked Cellar Door on Kensington Street.


Handpicked Cellar Door lounge area

The Handpicked Cellar Door operates as a wine tasting venue and retailer for its label of "handpicked" wines from around Australia and the world. It also doubles as a wine bar, offering wines by the glass alongside cheese boards and charcuterie. Wines range from $8-$35 per glass.


The Experience Room for group tastings and events

Raclette is usually a winter-only event but the waitstaff I spoke to seemed convinced that it was so popular, it may run permanently. Officially, it's on until the end of August. On the night we dined, there were so many patrons that we ended up being seated in the rear Experience Room, usually reserved for private group tastings and events.


Half a wheel of raclette

Raclette is a cheese that originates in the Swiss and French Alps, made using unpasteurised cows milk. At room temperature it has a reasonably mild flavour but the true magic happens once it's subjected to heat.


Half wheel racelette grill

At Handpicked, they use a traditional grill designed for half wheels. It takes about three or four minutes for the cheese to bubble and turn golden brown. That's when it's ready to raclette, or scrape, the cheese onto the waiting potatoes.


Raclette Tuesdays menu

There's only one raclette option: a small plate of potatoes, pancetta and pickles served with melted raclette. Cheese dreams are made of these? You bet they are.


Swipe Right (Perfect Match) raclette matching wine flight $25
L-R: Chardonnay from Mornington Peninsula VIC, Shiraz from Heathcote VIC, Shiraz from Barossa Valley SA, Cabernet Merlot from Margaret River WA

We also go with the matching wine flight, four half-pours of wines from around Australia. It's interesting to see how the taste of both the wines and the raclette alter with each matching. My favourites turn out to be the chardonnay and the Barossa shiraz.


Melted raclette on potatoes

We're warned there may be a wait for our raclette, but it arrives within ten minutes. It's not a huge serving but there's enough to keep you occupied for the entirety of your wine flight.


Cheese Dreams Are Made of These $24
Melted raclette cheese straight from the wheel served with pancetta, potatoes and pickles

Expect about 6-8 chat potatoes, three slices of pancetta, two pickled gherkins and a handful of rocket dressed with balsamic. The raclette is the obvious star of the show, a melty stretchy oozing puddle of cheese with a faint nutty sweetness. The best bits are tinged golden brown, with a resistance that's satisfying chewy.


Melted raclette cheese ready to be added to the boiled potatoes

It's worth hovering near the raclette grills to watch the melty cheese scraping action at least once. Is it just me who finds the slow-motion ooze a little hot under the collar?


Golden river of grilled raclette

It's mesmerising...


That's the spot

And oh so satisfying.


Stretchy oozing raclette

And if the raclette doesn't warm you up, the wine will. Happy cheese day y'all.






Handpicked Cellar Door
50 Kensington Street, Chippendale, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9392 9190

Opening hours
Monday to Wednesday 11am - 10pm
Thursday to Friday 11am - 12 midnight
Saturday 10am - 12 midnight
Sunday 10am - 10pm

Raclette Tuesdays will run at Handpicked Cellar Door every Tuesday 5.30pm-10pm until the end of August 2018.

All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ (for cheap!) at Charcoal Mine Barbecue House, Parramatta

There are two golden rules for any all-you-can-eat: wear loose clothing, and arrive hungry. You’ll face instant regret if you don’t do both when you rock up to Charcoal Mine, said to be Australia’s first all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant.


Overhead barbecue smoke ventilators

The fact they opened over 20 years ago goes some way in explaining the dated but perfectly functional décor. The room full of Korean families, students and couples don’t care though. Let’s face it. Everybody’s focus is on the self-serve buffet. Hit it hard.


Buffet island


Time to gather all the meats


Marinated pork and chicken

You'll be in protein central with meats that run from marinated scotch fillet to spicy bacon strips, chicken wings and pork sausages. Seafood choices include mussels, octopus and squid. The more adventurous will venture towards kidney, intestine, giblet and liver territory. Leave your vegetarian mates at home unless they’re happy to binge on kimchi and lettuce leaves.


Meat on charcoal. Oh yeah.

Load up, head back to your table and resist the urge to throw everything on the charcoal barbecue. Yep, you’ll have to cook your own meat but trust us, it’s a cinch. Plus there are few things more satisfying than transferring succulent meat straight off the barbie and into your mouth. Plus, the charcoal really makes a difference, adding a smokier flavour to your sizzle meats. Most other Korean barbecue joints use cheaper – and less flavoursome – gas.


Cooked in a flash

The buffet selection isn’t huge but neither is the price tag. You’ll pay $35-$37 for dinner, depending on which night you dine, or binge at lunch for maximum value when the price drops to $28. Bargain!


Lettuce wraps and fresh watermelon and oranges

Don’t forget to create your own dipping sauces using gochujang chilli paste, ssamjang barbecue paste, sesame oil and soy. Help yourself to a bowl of steamed rice and make like a local, wrapping up your freshly barbecued meats in crisp iceberg lettuce leaves with a little bit of rice and a smear of ssamjang.

Fresh watermelon and orange wedges make for a sweet and refreshing dessert – or mid-meal palate cleanser. They have an alcohol license too, so you can barbie on up with a beer by your side. Maaate.

Fellow diners showing us how it's done with the lettuce wraps


Dining tables with inset barbecue grills






Charcoal Mine Barbecue House
454 Church Street, North Parramatta, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9630 3299 or +61 (02) 9630 4401

Opening hours
Monday 12pm-3pm, 5pm-11pm
Tuesday 5pm-11pm
Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-3pm, 5pm-11pm

This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.

8bit Burgers, Steam Mill Lane, Sydney

Double Dragon. Golden Axe. Zelda. Your favourite video game-inspired burgers have landed in Sydney. Melbourne burger barons, 8bit, opened their fourth outlet in Steam Mill Lane, the new food precinct at Darling Square (that's the new development where the Entertainment Centre once stood).

.
Order counter

8bit sits on the corner of Steam Mill Lane and Tumbalong Boulevard. Gleaming white tiles and splashes of primary colours create a cheerful vibe. The only thing that seems to be missing are the 8bit cartoon characters made from plastic beads.


Dining area with multigame arcade machines

But they haven't forgotten the arcade games. On the back wall of the dining area you'll find two multicade machines so you can reenact all your favourite video game moves.


Golden Axe $12
Crispy fried chicken burger

The menu follows the Melbourne set-up: burgers, hot dogs, onion rings and variations on fries and potato gems. Milkshakes will set you back $8. Free self-serve water is a welcome gesture at this end of town.


Golden Axe cross-section
Crispy fried chicken, cheese, sriracha mayo and slaw

The Golden Axe crispy fried chicken burger is a tad paltry (heh) in the protein arena, with the chicken fillet far from covering the diameter of the bun. It feels like there's more slaw than chicken here which is a shame.


1 Up Mushroom Burger $11



The 1 Up mushroom burger is much more satisfying, a portobello mushroom crumbed and deep-fried.

1 Up Mushroom Burger cross-section

Crumbed mushroom, cheese, tomato, red onion, green tomato relish, lettuce, mustard and 8bit sauce

There's quite a dense layer of bread-crumb batter around the mushroom. It might feel like an artificial inflation of filling, but the batter does yield a noticeable crunch. The mushroom isn't soggy with oil either which is always a win.


8bit with cheese $10.50


And of course we had to hit up the classic 8bit with cheese.


8bit with cheese cross-section
Beef, tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickles, mustard, cheese, ketchup, 8bit sauce

The menu does indicate that all patties are cooked medium but ours is pretty much well done, negating some of the patty juiciness we were expecting. The zingy pickle and mustard saves the day.


Potato gems $5
8bit with cheese $10.50

We stick with plain potato gems on the side but you can go full hog by loading them (or fries) with chilli beef, cheese, bacon and pickle relish. You can also get your fries with cheese and bacon or chilli cheese.

The potato gems are great on their own though, fried to a crunch that holds for an hour (we struggled to eat all of the above between two ambitious females).


Burgers up on the pass

What else is happening at Steam Mill Lane? Belle's Hot Chicken is already trading with Marrickville Pork Roll, Gyradiko and Matcha-Ya (all things matcha!) set to open soon. I can't wait.

Multicade machines

8bit entrance






8bit
Darling Square
51 Tumbalong Boulevard, Haymarket, Sydney

Opening hours
Daily 11am-11pm


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